Preserving an Historical Legacy

The tannery, DMD Solofra, was founded in 1944 by Diodato De Maio Snr.  It remains a family business with Diodato Jnr the current Managing Director. Preserving both the long tradition of the region in which they are located, and the neighbouring environment, are matters they take very seriously. ON THE LEFT (Tall man with glasses): Mr. Dino DE MAIO ON THE RIGHT : Mr. Diodato DE MAIO    Arguably, the very first archaeological traces of tanning activity were found at Solofra, Italy, during excavations in the early 1970's at Passatoia-Madonna del Soccorso.  This was a Bronze Age settlement of shepherds. Evidence of a sheep-herding culture in this period have been uncovered all over Irpinia, but the findings from the Solofra excavations indicate that the Solofrian shepherds where the true founding fathers of what was to become the art of tanning. The tannery tradition has deep historical roots and Solofra is one of the most important tannery centres in the world, in particular for the tanning of sheep and goat skins. Not surprisingly, given the history of the region, tanning is as much an art as a business.  These traditional roots have been allied with a high level of professionalism earned by research and constant development.  This entails, among other things, taking seriously the move towards environmental awareness.  It’s not just about words:  DMD Solofra recently received certfication for the environmental management system ISO 14001. If you wish to contribute to the APLF News, with your experiences in the industry, your observations, or general thoughts on the direction the industry is going, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com How long has your company been attending APLF? If you wish to be involved in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of APLF, we would like to hear from you. Email: aplf-news@aplf.com. Subject Headline: APLF 25th Anniversary